Slideshow image

Hello all. 

Our warm  summer continues.  I wonder if our excellent turnout of Parishioners at Sunday service could be due to the fact the church is air conditioned?  Perhaps we should add it to  the sign at Riverside and Pinetree? Work continues around the church with painting going on and new windows and doors scheduled.  Cloakroom cleanup is also progressing, not that there is an immediate requirement for someplace to hang coats.  Documents which have been piled there will either be shredded this week or moved to a storage area.  Look for a much revamped space in the near future.  Planning for "Doors Open London" is progressing and we will need help, please see some of the items below.  

 

The Bishop is coming!  The Bishop is coming!    The Right Reverend Dr.Todd Townshend, 14th Bishop of Huron (for those of you who are counting) will be visiting St. Martin's on Sunday 23 November to help us mark our 70th year as a parish.  Mark your calendars now and plan on attending.

 

Speaking of Calendars.    The 2026 church calendars are on order.  Sandra has ordered 50, which normally meets our requirements.  We will let you know when they arrive.  The projected price is $7.00 per calendar which covers our cost.  

 

Martin's "Brunchers".   Have you wanted to gather with your friends at St. Martin's in a relaxed atmosphere over a meal which you did not have to host or prepare?  Larry and Janice Chisholm are inviting you to join them for brunch on a monthly basis at a restaurant in the area.  Please see the attachment for complete details. Feel free to bring a guest.

 

Doors Open London Volunteers.  Doors Open London is a wonderful opportunity to present St. Martin's to the community and hopefully have some fun doing it.  We have spots available for all.  Fancy yourself as a tour guide or greeter?  The plan is to station guides throughout the church to speak on areas of interest and to answer questions.  Notes will be provided.  More a behind the scenes type?  We need help in the cafe and assistance with baking.  Have a flare for marketing and distribution of posters to local businesses?  We have a spot for you too.  Look for our famous sign up lists on the Narthex table starting Sunday August 24th.  For more information on Doors Open London go to https://www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/pages/events/london?view_mode=cards St. Martin's is on page two of the list of sites.  

 

Baking For Doors Open London.  Do you like to bake? Great because we need baking!!!  As part of Doors Open London taking place September 20-21, St. Martin-in-the-Fields will be welcoming visitors into our church home-and you can’t have visitors without offering them a cup of tea or coffee and a treat, so we are hosting The Cafe in the Cellar!

But as much as myself and a few others like to bake, we need more!  Therefore I am asking if you could possibly make an extra dozen or two of your famous chocolate chip cookies or a few loaves of banana bread or muffins.  Anything at all would be appreciated!!!!!  I have an empty freezer that I am happy to store whatever you can bake for us so please feel free to fill it!  Pickup can be arranged. Don’t worry, any leftover goodies will be kept for use at future coffee hours so the more we have the better!!

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me!  Nancy Haley

 

Parish Council Meeting. The next meeting of Parish Council to continue our planning for Doors Open London will be Wednesday August 20th at 6:30 pm.

 

The Next Coffee Hour.  The next Coffee Hour is this  Sunday 17 August following the 10:00 am service.  Join us and catch up on the news with your friends. 

 

St. Martin's, Our History and Our Artifacts.   In the beginning there was the Rectory.  The Rectory was owned by the Parish  and provided to the Rector and his family as part of their compensation.  This meant the Parish was responsible for the maintenance of two buildings.  This went better in some locations than others.  Not unlike military housing, memoirs are full of stories of experiences of living in Rectories.   The Diocese purchased the first Rectory on behalf of the new Parish of St. Martin -in-the-Fields at  490 West Mile Road, adjacent to the yet to be constructed church site. It was acquired with a down payment of $5,000.00 and a mortgage of $9100.00, repayable at the rate of $75.00 per month.  It was to be the home of Reverend John Wagland, his wife Mary and their two children.  The first service of the Parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields was held Sunday November 6, 1955 in a chapel constructed in the basement  of the Rectory.  A slightly larger Rectory was purchased at 538 Oak Park Drive in December 1968 to make the Parish more appealing to prospective Ministers. In 1977 the Rectory was sold and a house of similar quality leased at 563 Oakridge Drive.  The Arrival of Reverend Sid Smithson in 1986 brought the period of the Rectory to a close at St. Martin's as he stated his preference for purchasing his own home.  This began the now common practice of providing a housing allowance.  

 

The Chancel Guild is looking to recruit new members.  If you are interested, please see Marie or Rev'd Sarah.

 

 St. Paul's Social Services -Thank you for your continued generosity.  The bin is overflowing and I shall be making a delivery next week.  St. Paul's Social Services is an outreach program, a part of which is the St. Paul's Food Bank.  Your generous donations help support it.   Look for the bin in the cloakroom marked "St. Paul's Food Bank".  Food of all descriptions should be the first priority.   Please give what you can.    In addition to food, toiletries, especially in small sizes are always useful. Monetary donations are also well received as it lets them buy items which are needed but not always donated or they buy in bulk.  Like everyone else they are being hit by the rising price of food.  Please make cheques payable to St. Paul's Social Services.  Tax receipts will be issued directly by St. Paul's Social Services.  For the moment please do not donate containers as they are in discussions with the local Health Inspectors on their use.

 

We Are Collecting Egg Cartons.  Annele Robertson has a friend who can use egg cartons for......eggs!  Drop them off in the cloakroom and Annele will pick them up.  

 

Milk Bag Collection is Back.  The ladies are back to making mats.  Please bring in your milk bags and put them in the marked box in the Cloakroom

 

Email Address  Please check that you have our correct email address in your contacts.  It is stmartinslondon@diohuron.org .  The old email address is no longer supported, and we will be losing access to it soon.  Also, if you change your email address, please let us know so we can update our records.

 

Readings for the  Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:1-2,8-18, Hebrews 11:29-12:2, Luke 12:49-56

 

 Parish Family Circle of Prayer –    As we gather this week we pray for the following members of our congregation and their families.

Joyce Henderson                              Connie Hueston                                         Fr. Willi & Ruth Anne Kammerer

 

See you Sunday.
Ian

Ian Haley
Church Warden

Downloads